Potato Pirates

Potato Pirates: Enter the Spudnet is inspired by how the Internet works, the possible dangers online and how one can stay safe in the cyber space. We mashed potatoes and networking concepts into this cyber-fueled board game for players to learn about networking and cybersecurity concepts – all without computers!

The game, Potato Pirates: Enter The Spudnet, is a board game of sabotage and strategy that gives one a bird’s eye view of cybersecurity concepts in minutes. The board itself represents the Internet and every movement on the board is a visualization of how data travels (or propagates for you techies) on the Internet in the most intuitive way. Perfect for ages 10 and up, the game facilitates the learning of fundamental computer networking concepts, such as Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, data propagation, network architecture, malicious software (aka malware) and how they compromise our networks, and finally cybersecurity – how one can defend oneself against such cyber threats. All this entirely screen-free.

Brief overview of how to play the game
In the game, you have to strategically position your warehouses (servers) and send ships (data packets) to fulfill your orders (client requests) that are scattered all over the Spudnet (Internet world). The winning objective is to be the first to fulfil all your orders on the Spudnet. Every round, you get 2 ships and draft ability cards which will aid you or disrupt others from fulfilling their orders. Play cards such as “Transmission Boost” and “Tunnelling” to get to your destination faster while cards such as “Firewall” and “Rerouting” can prevent your opponents from reaching their destination. Each card has a unique ability that can be played together to unleash powerful combos. We are also in the midst of designing a cooperative mode where players will team up and fulfill all their orders before the Spudnet gets compromised beyond repair.