Save Sea Creatures and Prevent Disaster in The Spill Board Game

A new board game pits players against a fearsome foe - the ecological damage caused by an oil spill. Earlier this month, Smirk and Dagger launched the Kickstarter for The Spill, a new cooperative board game for one to four players. The game is billed as a "reverse tower defense" game in which players try to limit the fallout of an oil spill at an offshore rig. Players are tasked with three main objectives - contain the oil spill, remove what oil they can, and rescue any marine animals put in danger due to the spill.

Gameplay centers around a board with a dice tower shaped like an oil rig as its centerpiece. Each round, players drop black dice into the dice tower which represents the oil being spilled out into the ocean. The placement of the dice is determined by where the dice lands and the number showing on the dice. Players move their ship token (each one representing a different specialist with various abilities) to respond to the threat, clean up oil, and rescue sea animals. The players lose if too many animals are contaminated with oil or too much oil accumulates on the board. They win if they complete three objectives - successfully save three contaminated animals, remove 12 oil dice from the game, and save two full sets of marine life. Full rules for the game can be found here.

As a part of the Kickstarter campaign, Smirk and Dagger donated $1,000 to Oceana, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ocean conservation. Additionally, a portion of the Kickstarter campaign's sales will also be donated to Oceana, with the hopes of raising an additional $2,500 this year. Smirk and Dagger has also developed educational lessons and collaborative activities for teachers to use in the classroom in conjunction with the game. 

To date, the Kickstarter has raised a total of $48,000, which is more than three times its initial goal. Backers will get the game with a $45 pledge or get a deluxe version of The Spill for a $60 pledge. The Kickstarter will remain open until September 24th. You can check out the full Kickstarter here.