In This is Only A Test, players must prepare for the coming cold war apocalypse. However, much like anxious American 1950s families, you have no idea just quite how it will all end, when disaster will strike, or whether the end of the world will come at all.

Panic is building and you must negotiate for supplies in anticipation of a Red invasion or the dropping of the Atomic bomb. Will you stockpile heaps of supplies, defend yourself to the teeth, or simply profit from other’s paranoia? The Red Army looms! The A-bomb is armed!  Is it time to duck and cover? Or perhaps...This Is Only A Test. 

On their action, players can use their action to investigate the timeline and see whether the ever-present threat of destruction is looming closer to reality. However, they can also manipulate the timeline by visiting city hall, spreading panic in the Mayor's Office, or search for information at the Sheriff's Office or Civil Defense Offices.

Players can also decide what resources they wish to collect based on what the believe the outcome of the game may be. For example, players that believe an atomic bomb is likely to end the game may wish to stockpile food, while those who suspect a Red Army invasion may decide to invest in self-defense items.

Of course, there is also the ability to invest in luxury items and profit off the chaos. At the end of the game, the card will reveal whether America faces a nuclear winter, a communist invasion or whether the panic has all been a test and the money men have made a tidy profit off the chaos.

This Is Only A Test uses a unique timeline mechanic that keeps the players in suspense as the game heads toward an unknown conclusion at an unknown time. This means that player decision is influenced by gut instinct and what few pieces of information they can glimpse from their action inquiries and manipulation. Perhaps the deck will contain a bomb, perhaps the red army will rise up. Then again, perhaps This is Only A Test.

This is the 21st game in the Eagle-Gryphon Bookshelf Games series. The Kickstarter will be running until 20th November, so interested preppers can put in their pledge here.

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