Eschaton is the most complicated children's game anyone around E.T.A.'d ever heard of. No one's entirely sure who brought it to Enfield from where. ... Its elegant complexity, combined with a dismissive-reenactment frisson and a complete disassociation from the realities of the present, composes most of its pureile appeal. Plus it's almost addictively compelling, and shocks the tall.
The eschaton, the divinely ordained climax of history.
ESCHATON is a pen and paper (and calculator) role playing game, loosely based on the game described in the novel Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. In the novel, the game is played outdoors, using tennis equiment and a computer. As a Civilization playing, Model U.N. joining, Shadowrunning, senior in highschool when Infinite Jest was published, I was fascinated by the game described, but wanted to play in real life in a more feasable form. I also was looking for a strategy game that could be played over a period of days, during school, without needing boards or figurines. With the help of some fellow gamers and politics nerds, I developed the version of ESCHATON described here. The game is a sort of model UN, but with total war as its goal, instead of peace. The game plays out largly through diplomacy, as combatants strategize for the inevitable Armageddon. Set in an ersatz Cold War world, the game uses basic math and geography as tools for players to negotiate the final days of the world.
ESCHATON is a game for seven players. One player will serve as the GAMESTAT. The other players will be the combatants, and each assigned a number from one to six. The GAMESTAT with then use a random number generator to assign each combatant to one of six alliances: AMNAT, SOVWAR, REDCHI, INDPAK, LIBSYR, and UNAFCO. See Fact Sheet tables for more on each alliance.
Each combatant is given the amount their alliance spends on defense. They are also given an initial missle cost sheet by the GAMESTAT. The cost of each type of weapon will vary from alliance to alliance, based on the alliance's technical development, percent of GDP committed to defense and other factors, at the discretion of the GAMESTAT. This money is exchanged for the alliance's intial nuclear arsenal. Combatants are advised to reserve some money for use during the game, as no income is generated during the game. These initial purshases are to be kept entirely secret. If a combatant's arsenal becomes widely known, domestic political unrest and loss of confidence will result in the combatant losing, and cause the breakup of the alliance into non-aligned nations.
The game of ESCHATON is about diplomacy and strategy. It requires the use of politics, money and military might in a balanced way. Not every alliance is created equal: it is up to the combatant's skill to work from their strengths.
An alliance can add a nation (including its population) by attempting to persuade the people of that nation to hold a referendum to join the alliance. Buying the election and other asociated costs are determined by the GAMESTAT and range from 1 to 5 billion dollars.
An alliance can add a nation (including its population) by attempting a military takeover. This requires the acquiescence of another alliance and 1 billion dollars.
Neither method will guarantee a successful annextion.
To make any member nation nuclear capable costs 1 billion dollars and 1 missle. Nuclear capable nations are listed in bold on each alliance fact sheet.
Building an SDI (commonal called star wars) costs 5 billion dollars and a land launched missle. It prevents 1/3 of all damage in future turns.
There are three types of missiles: ICBMs, SRBMs and SLBMs. ICBMs and SRBMs are both land launched and vary in their cost, range and damage. SLBMs, as the name implies are submarine launched, and can be used from any open ocean coordinate. See the Damage Table for detailed profiles of each.
Combatants may buy additional missiles from the GAMESTAT. Missiles aquired after the game begins cost an additonal percentage over the pre-game cost, determined by the GAMESTAT. Missiles cannot be launched on the same game day they are acquired. Missiles cannot be acquired during Armegeddon.
Alliances may trade missiles for other missiles or money at any rate of exchange the parties see fit. These exchanges must be reported to the GAMESTAT, but do not count as a treaty.
A missile may be launched by an alliance at DEFCON 1. The aggressor must submit the lanching nation (which must be nuclear capable), or ocean coordinates of origin (if the missle is an SLBM), and the target city (if one) or enemy nation, to the GAMESTAT. The damage to the the target will then be calculated from the Damage Table. Both combatants are then notified of the outcome (but no press release is issued). Once a city is sucessfully targeted by any combatant, it is destroyed, and its damage multiplier is no longer applied.
Two or more alliances may enter into various types of treaties. Treaties involving any change in territory or exchange of funds, must be submitted to the GAMESTAT. Other forms of treaty are as binding as the parties wish, but the GAMESTAT will not enforce any treaty or punish combatatant for breaking any treaty.
Espionage in any form is accepted and encouraged. The only action considered cheating is looking at any of the GAMESTAT's information.
Any and all.
Combatants must notify the GAMESTAT of all their alliance's official actions.
The GAMESTAT is not a reference desk. Combatants are responsible for updating and maintaining intelligence about their opponents.
Near the beginning of each game day the GAMESTAT will broadcast the day's press releases.
If a country is annexed or expelled, a press release will state the additional population and new targets the next day; it is then combatants jobs to update their enemy fact sheets.
If a combatant would like to include a press release in the broadcast it must be received by the GAMESTAT before close of business the prior day. Press releases are not verified or fact checked, though all releases will be accurately attributed to their alliance of origin.
Unless secrecy is unanimously requested by all signatories, treaties will be included in the daily press releases the day following ratificatoin, if submitted to the GAMESTAT.
The GAMESTAT has the power, at any time during the game, with two game days advance notice, to call for a summit, for some or all combatants. NOT APPEARING AT A SUMMIT IS GROUNDS FOR EXPULSION FROM THE GAME.
An alliance can expell a member nation (thereby, losing its population but also any target cities within its borders) for 2 billion dollars. It then becomes a non-alligned nation, and can be annexed by other combatants.
An alliance will declare it's DEFCON by the end of each day. Missiles can only be launched at DEFCON 1. DEFCON levels can only be raised or lowered by one level per game day.
ESCHATON is meant to be played over a long time period. Each game day serves as a sort of turn, and a game takes a minimum of 5 days, if players go right through the DEFCON levels to Armageddon. Or the game can go on as long as the GAMESTAT and the players like. There is no time limit or day by which Armageddon must occur, however the GAMESTAT may unilaterally declare Armageddon if combatants reach a peaceful stasis.
The GAMESTAT will establish hours that constitute the "game day". Offcial actions, such as missile attacks, changes in DEFCON, press releases or annexations must be submitted to the GAMESTAT during the game day. However, combatant to combatant interactions, such as treaty negotiations, outside the game day are allowed.
Combatants are encouraged to use non-players as advisors, assistants, spies or even teammates. The GAMESTAT does not need to be informed of any non-combatants being utilized in any capacity, though such agents are prohibited from espionage targeted at the GAMESTAT.
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An alliance's population is a combatant's "score". As the alliance suffers damage, it loses population. Population can be gained through annexation. Once their alliance's population has reached 0, the combatant has lost.
When Armageddon occurs all the remaining players must turn in their remaining nukes, with origins and targets for each, by the end of the next game day. The GAMESTAT will then calculate the final populations.
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| Weapon Type | City Multiplier | 1 Zone | 2 Zones | 3 Zones | 4 Zones | 5 Zones |
| ICBM | *2 | 0.5 | 0.75 | 1.75 | 2.5 | 3.0 |
| SRBM | *1.5 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 0.5 | ||
| SLBM | *1.5 | 0.5 | 0.2 |
| Alliance | # of Nations | GNP | % on Defense | Military Spending | Population |
| AMNAT | 10 | 14605.40 | 3.71 | 100 | 591,877,562 |
| SOVWAR | 6 | 1155.07 | 7.19 | 83 | 355,992,236 |
| REDCHI | 4 | 683.97 | 9.97 | 68 | 1,019,752,766 |
| LIBSYR | 6 | 173.53 | 9.63 | 17 | 105,733,273 |
| INDPAK | 4 | 506.20 | 4.20 | 21 | 1,012,134,373 |
| UNAFCO | 9 | 108.20 | 4.55 | 5 | 77,332,970 |
| Member Nation | GNP | % on D | Targets | Population |
| U.S.A | 7248 | 5.98 | Atlanta, Washington, L.A., N.Y.C., Houston, Boston, Seattle, Chicago | 226,504,825 |
| U.K. | 1140 | 5.25 | Liverpool, London, Belfast, Birmingham | 55,672,000 |
| France | 1500 | 4.62 | Paris, Nice, Lyon, Marseilles | 53,788,000 |
| Germany | 2400 | 0.80 | Frankfurt, Bonn, Berlin, Hamburg | 78,395,000 |
| Turkey | 81 | 5.11 | Ankara, Istanbul | 45,217,556 |
| Canada | 580 | 1.80 | Ontario, Vancouver, Quebec, Montreal | 24,343,181 |
| Italy | 1002 | 2.53 | Milan, Rome, Florence | 57,140,000 |
| Spain | 483 | 3.62 | Madrid, Barcelona, Seville | 37,340,000 |
| Greece | 168 | 6.00 | Athens | 9,599,000 |
| Israel | 142 | 8.00 | Tel Aviv, Jerusalem | 3,878,000 |
| TOTAL | 14605 | 3.71 | MILITARY SPENDING:100* | 591,877,562 |
| Member Nation | GNP | % on D | Targets | Population |
| U.S.S.R. | 1000 | 12.60 | Mocscow, St. Petersburg, Vladivostok, Dushambe, Kiev | 226,504,825 |
| Poland | 87 | 5.72 | Warsaw, Gdansk | 35,815,000 |
| Romania | 65 | 4.90 | Bucharest | 22,048,305 |
| Czechoslovakia | 10 | 5.47 | Prague | 15,276,799 |
| Cuba | 16 | 11.9 | Havana | 9,706,369 |
| Budapest | 38 | 2.59 | Budapest | 10,709,536 |
| TOTAL | 1166 | 7.19 | MILITARY SPENDING:83 | 355,992,236 |
| Member Nation | GNP | % on D | Targets | Population |
| Red China | 664 | 10.90 | Changchun, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Jianxing, Jinan, Linchoun, Mianyang, Nanjing, Qingdoa, Shanghai, Shantao, Tangshan, Wuhan, Zhengzhou | 958,090,000 |
| Vietnam | 15 | 4.20 | Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi | 52,741,766 |
| Cambodia | 3 | 13.60 | Phenom Pehn | 5,200,000 |
| Laos | .65 | 11.20 | Viangchan | 3,721,000 |
| TOTAL | 683 | 9.97 | MILITARY SPENDING:68 | 1,019,752,766 |
| Member Nation | GNP | % on D | Targets | Population |
| Libya | 28 | 2.64 | Tripoli, Benghazi | 2,856,000 |
| Syria | 9 | 14.80 | Damascus | 8,979,000 |
| Egypt | 40 | 7.59 | Cairo, Alexandria | 41,572,000 |
| Iran | 75 | 10.32 | Tehran | 37,447,000 |
| Iraq | 19 | 8.42 | Baghdad | 12,767,000 |
| Jordan | 2 | 14.00 | Aman | 2,152,273 |
| TOTAL | 174 | 9.63 | MILITARY SPENDING:17 | 105,773,273 |
| Member Nation | GNP | % on D | Targets | Population |
| India | 252 | 4.21 | Calcutta, Dehli, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Madras, Poona | 683,810,051 |
| Pakistan | 52 | 6.64 | Islamabad, Lahor | 83,782,000 |
| Indonesia | 174 | 3.95 | Kuala Lampoor, Jakarta, Surabaya | 147,490,000 |
| Bangladesh | 28 | 2.00 | Dakha | 97,052,024 |
| TOTAL | 506 | 4.20 | MILITARY SPENDING:21 | 1,012,134,373 |
| Member Nation | GNP | % on D | Targets | Population |
| Congo | 2 | 5.35 | Brazzaville | 1,537,000 |
| Sudan | 9 | 5.67 | Khartoum | 18,691,000 |
| South Africa | 45 | 5.01 | Capetown, Johannesburg, Pretoria | 23,771,970 |
| Mali | 3 | 4.50 | Bamako | 6,906,000 |
| Niger | 2 | 3.29 | Niamey | 5,098,000 |
| Chad | 0.3 | 7.76 | N'Djamena | 4,309,000 |
| Angola | 45 | 3.50 | Luanda | 7,078,000 |
| Madagascar | 1 | 1.90 | Antanarivo | 8,742,000 |
| Namibia | 0.8 | 4.00 | Windhoek | 1,200,000 |
| TOTAL | 108 | 4.55 | MILITARY SPENDING:5 | 77,332,970 |
Terminology and concept inspired by Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. Web site, its text and other content ©1997,2017 Imaginary Cartography, and liscensed CC-NC-SA