Wallcrypt, a board game about blockchain and crypto. Game overview and review!
For once, we are leaving mining hardware aside. In this 2022 video (in French), we present Wallcrypt, a board game that explains blockchain and cryptocurrencies in a fun way. How does a game play out, who is it for, and is it a good way to introduce crypto to the people around you? We tried it out.
A game we discovered at a crypto meetup
We met Jean-Luc, the game's creator at Wallcrypt, by chance at a crypto meetup, and he gave us a copy to test. These gatherings of enthusiasts are usually very friendly: they are well worth going to. In full transparency, the description of our video contains a link with a promo code that gives a few percent off the game, bought directly from the Wallcrypt website.
Who is Wallcrypt for?
The aim of the game is to explain blockchain and crypto in a playful way: smart contracts, staking, mining, NFTs and decentralised finance (DeFi). It is aimed at people curious about blockchain, at those who want to introduce it to their friends or family, and at groups in a company setting. No prior knowledge of cryptocurrencies is needed.
- Number of players: 2 to 6;
- Game length: 45 minutes to 1 hour;
- Components: a deck of cards in four families and three types of tokens.
The components: four card families and tokens
- Company cards: you invest in them, and they multiply your points at the end of the game;
- Team cards: they grant special powers;
- Transaction cards: you add them to the blockchain, and they reflect real situations from the crypto world;
- Trick cards: they let you attack the other players and make them lose coins.
There are also three types of tokens, including coins: the goal is to have as many as possible at the end of the game. The cards are nicely illustrated and the tokens make the game pleasant to handle.
How a game plays out
The game is played over several cycles. You choose how many: the creators recommend 5 for a game of about 45 minutes. Players draw 5 cards and pick 7 tokens, depending on their strategy and the cards in their hand, then lay down cards over the cycles to win as many coins as possible. At the end of the cycles, you count the points: your tokens, plus the bonuses from the company cards in front of you.
To spice things up, each cycle starts with a news card that changes the rules for the moment. A few examples:
- Blockchain innovation: new solutions make wallets safer to use, and the effects of trick cards are frozen;
- Crypto guru: despite the sector's maturity, personalities can still influence prices;
- Bubble: "every bubble must burst", and the price collapses;
- Election: the player who drew the card is elected president.
Cards inspired by real-life cases
What we liked most is the way the game builds in real uses of blockchain: buying an NFT artwork, a smart contract, a staking pool, subscribing to an online service… The "Mining pool" card ("proof of work isn't dead"), for example, costs 2 coins and earns 1 coin every turn.
The trick cards are also a reminder of very real risks, such as hacking. An example: one of our shop's customers had €100,000 in crypto stolen from his Binance and Crypto.com accounts after his iPhone was stolen, even though he had enabled two-factor authentication.
Wallcrypt has also published a book about blockchain and crypto, bringing together contributions from 60 experts.
Our verdict
Wallcrypt makes a pleasant change from mining topics and succeeds in turning real blockchain use cases into game mechanics. It is a good way to approach these ideas with friends or family, with no prerequisites.
To go further, read our article on how a blockchain works and is secured and find all our videos on our tutorials page. Ready to move from theory to practice? Have a look at our home miners, compact and quiet.