Unfundable

Unfundable is a 5-player card game about the competitive yet collaborative world of academic research. It is played in 3 free-form rounds of negotiation. Players negotiate over the division of resources required to obtain a grant, as well as the division of the resulting rewards.

Players balance short-term collaboration with the long-term need to achieve their secret goal and avoid becoming Unfundable, i.e. having the fewest Papers at the end of the game.

Unfundable was designed as an engagement tool between researchers of various levels, from early-stage college students to postdocs. But it is also a quick, casual game that anyone can enjoy. It requires no background knowledge in research or tabletop gaming.

—description from the designer