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Shasn — Political Strategy Board Game ​

DifficultyAdvanced
Team Size2-3 people
Time~30-35 hours
Demo-ready byStep 5
PrerequisitesJavaScript, Canvas/SVG, game design basics
Built bySHASN (board game), Catan Universe, Twilight Struggle Digital, Through the Ages

Skills you'll earn: Board game logic, multiplayer state sync, political simulation, AI opponents, lobby systems

Start with a grid and players. End with a digital political strategy game.

(Assumes basic HTML/CSS/JS knowledge; game mechanics and networking learned along the way)

Step 1: Render the board (~1-2 hours) ​

Shasn is played on a grid where players claim territories.

  • One HTML page with a grid rendered in <canvas> or as a CSS grid of <div> elements
  • Define a 9x9 (or similar) grid of zones
  • Each zone starts unclaimed (neutral color)
  • Show the grid with borders and zone identifiers

You now have: A game board.

Step 2: Player turns and zone claiming (~2 hours) ​

Players take turns claiming zones. Start with the simplest interaction.

  • Support 2-4 players, each with a color
  • On a player's turn, they click an unclaimed zone to place a voter token
  • The zone changes to the player's color
  • Turn rotates to the next player

You now have: Turn-based territory claiming.

Step 3: Ideology cards and dilemma system (~3-4 hours) ​

Shasn's core mechanic: answer political dilemmas to earn resources.

  • Create a deck of dilemma cards (JSON data): each card has a question and two answers
  • Each answer corresponds to an ideology: Idealist, Opportunist, Capitalist, Showman
  • At the start of each turn, draw a card and present the dilemma
  • The player's choice gives them resources of that ideology type

You now have: The dilemma system.

Step 4: Resource-based actions (~3-4 hours) ​

Resources aren't useful unless they buy power.

  • Define actions that cost ideology resources: place extra voters, move voters, remove opponent voters
  • Each ideology unlocks different action types (Capitalist buys influence, Showman sways crowds)
  • Show the player's resource inventory
  • Players spend resources to take actions during their turn

You now have: Strategic resource spending.

Step 5: Zone control and majority (~2-3 hours) ​

A single voter per zone is too simple. Zones should be contested.

  • Allow multiple voters from different players in a zone
  • A zone is "controlled" by the player with the most voters in it
  • Adjacent controlled zones form regions
  • Display a voter count per player in each zone

You now have: Contested territory.

Step 6: Headline cards (~3-4 hours) ​

In Shasn, headline cards are powerful events that change the game state.

  • Create headline cards that trigger global effects (remove all voters of one color from a row, double voters in a region, etc.)
  • Players can earn or buy headline cards
  • Playing a headline card is a strategic decision — timing matters
  • Show active effects on the board

You now have: Event-driven gameplay.

Step 7: Win condition and scoring (~2 hours) ​

The game needs an end state.

  • Game ends after N rounds or when all zones have voters
  • Score: count controlled zones per player
  • Bonus points for controlling entire rows, columns, or specific regions
  • Announce the winner with final scores

You now have: A complete game loop.

Step 8: Online multiplayer (~4-5 hours) ​

  • Set up a WebSocket server for real-time multiplayer
  • Rooms and lobbies: create a game, share a code, others join
  • Server validates all moves (don't trust the client)
  • Handle disconnections and reconnections

Step 9: AI opponents (~4-5 hours) ​

  • Build a simple AI: random valid moves
  • Improve it: prioritize zones that complete regions, hoard resources for powerful cards
  • Add difficulty levels

Useful Resources ​

Where to go from here ​

  • Campaign mode with a storyline
  • Custom card editor (create your own dilemmas)
  • Spectator mode and game replays
  • Mobile app with touch controls
  • Ranked matchmaking and leaderboards