May 1, 2002

12:47 AM

This new trading card gametakes an ironic look a a bunch of "Bad Ideas" from the dot-com boom and bust. The object is to remain in business as long as possible by raising money from VC's and forcing your opponents to spend resources on developing bad ideas... You can't actually generate any revenue, of course :-)
posted by sib (7 comments total)

Once upon a time there was this obscure guy who lived near the east coast during the Great Depression. He made up a real estate game, using his tablecloth as the first board and carving out little houses with wood he had lying around. He sold it to Parker Brothers for a comparative pittance, and Monopoly was born.

Something tells me Burn Rate will not have the same success. It's one thing to pretend to be a rich real estate tycoon, but who wants to pretend to be a poor failing dotcom CEO?
posted by ZachsMind at 1:13 AM on May 1, 2002

Are you sure it's a trading card game? Looks like a an all-in product to me. I will reserve judgement as to how good it is until I've played it or seen reviews, but I play a lot of these silly card games: Bohnanza, Nicht die Bohne, 6 Nimmt!, Mamma Mia, Zirkus Flohcati, etc.
posted by salmacis at 2:21 AM on May 1, 2002

So where do you find the coupon code? If I'm going to buy it, I want my $5 off.
posted by ivey at 7:27 AM on May 1, 2002

Ditto what ivey said.. I want that coupon!

Regardless of it's future success (or failure) I think the game is a great gag gift for anyone who's had to suffer through similar hair-brained dot-com ideas.
posted by LoraT at 9:23 AM on May 1, 2002

Once upon a time there was this obscure guy who lived near the east coast during the Great Depression. He made up a real estate game, using his tablecloth as the first board and carving out little houses with wood he had lying around. .

False.
posted by Shadowkeeper at 9:51 AM on May 1, 2002

wow, shadowkeeper. I didnt know that. Most people dont. That seems FPP-worthy.
posted by vacapinta at 1:19 PM on May 1, 2002

So Rich Koehler (the inventor of Burn Rate) contacted me today after seeing the MeFi post. This is what he had to say...

"We're running a market trial right now, and didn't intend to advertise the site. But then, that's the web, I guess! As long as we've been "outed", I'd like you to post some clarifications:
- BURN RATE is not a trading card game; it is a standard game that includes
all the cards.
- A coupon code is FRND (case-sensitive).
- ZachsMind -- I hope that letting folks run a startup into the ground turns out to be as much fun as becoming a real estate baron!

Thanks,
Rich Koehler
President
Cool Studio
posted by sib at 12:29 AM on May 2, 2002