Create A Symbolic Cosmos In Mandala

February 24, 2019 by cassn

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In Buddhism and Hinduism, the mandala is spiritual, ritual symbol which represents the cosmos -  it is a microcosm of the universe, and holds significant meaning to the fleeting nature of existence - which is why every 20 year old girl today appears to have one tattooed on them. Clearly, we're raising a generation of theologians.

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Sorry, bitter old woman rant over. Actually Lookout Games have produced an interesting board game using the mandala as its central concept. Players have a deck of cards of six different colours that they then place on a central board which features two mandalas. Players place their cards, either building on the central shared mountains or laying cards into their own fields.

Once all six colours have been placed, the mandala is complete, and players take turns choosing the colour they want to take from the mountains and place in their river and cup. Points are scored based on the type of cards in your cup and how they correspond to the position of the colours in your river. The player with the greatest number of points, wins!

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I get a little uncomfortable when something spiritual is co-opted for profit, but that's my own personal hang-up. And, actually, Mandala has the potential to inform and educate people about the symbolic significance of what has otherwise become a 'trendy' icon. Mandala will be released later in 2019, but you can keep up-to-date through Lookout Games.

Do you think some things should be off-limits for board game designs?

"An interesting board game using the mandala as its central concept..."

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