14 Days 2015

14 Days is a 2-player simple resource and disaster management game with a roleplaying soul, in which two characters who suffer from migraines try to juggle work, relationships, hobbies, and self-care while navigating the spiky migraine minefield. At the start of your turn, you schedule your day on a board styled as a day-planner, placing discs on three tasks you hope to accomplish… if migraines permit.

Migraines in the game, just as in real life, range from troublesome to fully debilitating. In 14 Days, this requires you to remove discs from your schedule. "On a bad migraine day, this might look like skipping game night with your friends. On a debilitating migraine day, this could look like an entire day in bed—or in the emergency room." The player must choose when to tap the limited supply of medication, and when to let responsibilities get crushed under the heel of a migraine. Shirking responsibilities brings consequences, but 14 Days thrives on narrative: When your character suffers a migraine, the other player asks a question about how the migraine reshaped your day, such as, "What sort of 'home remedy' did someone recommend to you today?"

Once the two weeks are up, each player gives an epilogue that explains the long-term negative effects of the migraines (or miraculous lack thereof) the character suffered, at least as the player imagines them.